Artist-designed mini golf returns to the Walker

The Get Out Guide features all the events to get you out and around Minneapolis

Jahna Peloquin

June 2, 2017

Updated: June 9, 2017 - 1:02 pm

Photo by Carina Lofgren for Walker Art Center.

Artist-Designed Mini Golf

After a move to the Walker Art Center’s rooftop terraces last year due to the renovation of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the museum’s popular mini golf course is returning to the garden grounds. The 2017 course includes 14 returning favorites and four new holes created by teams of local artists and designers. Afterward, head inside the museum to check out the latest exhibitions — each mini golf ticket includes free gallery admission.

Four new holes:

Tale of Two Cities

This hole challenges players to choose either Minneapolis or St. Paul, and not get their ball swallowed up by the Mississippi River in the process.

Reflection of Choices

This mirrored hole inspired by “The Price Is Right” game Plinko challenges players to navigate their ball through a color-blocked ramp. Pro tip: It’s great for selfies.

Bound for Glory

This light rail–inspired installation directs players to roll down the Blue or Green Line to get a hole in one. Golfers must navigate the 14 stations along the right — but don’t get off at the wrong stop, or you’ll have to wait for the next train.

Block Party

Drawing visual cues from toy blocks, abstract sculpture and color field paintings, this rainbow-hued hole by mini-golf impresarios Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman is as complicated as it is delightful.

Cost: $19 adults, $16 students, $15 Walker members an children 6–12; free for ages 5 and under with paid adult

Info: www.walkerart.org

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Edina Art Fair

The 51st annual Edina Art Fair is the first official art fair of the year, showcasing artwork and handmade goods for sale by nearly 300 local artists. Held at the intersection of 50th and France, one the busiest hubs for dining and retail in the Twin Cities, the fair is packed with craft beer and artisan food options, including craft beer gardens hosted by Red Cow and Edina Grill, a pig roast and cocktail bar by Pig and Fiddle, Minnesota State Fair–inspired foods such as meatballs on a stick and spaghetti in a cup, and food trucks from Anchor Fish & Chips, Hot Indian Foods and more. Festivities also include community art projects, kids’ activities, sidewalk sales from neighborhood boutiques, live music and a set by Michael Holtz, the personal DJ for Prince at Paisley Park.

When: Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, June 4 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Where: 50th & France

Cost: Free

Info: www.edinaartfair.com

‘Fly by Night’

The runaway success of “Hair,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspell” made one thing clear: The 1970s were the decade of the rock musical. But the genre has made a comeback in recent years (see: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Kinky Boots”). The latest entry is “Fly by Night,” a comic rock-fable set against the backdrop of the 1965 East Coast blackout. The 2015 Drama Desk nominee for Outstanding Musical gets a Minnesota twist with appearances by notable Twin Cities musicians. Neo-folk singer-songwriter Chris Koza sings and strums a guitar in the lead role of “Harold,” backed by John Munson of Semisonic fame in the house band alongside noted guitarists Jeremy Ylvisaker and Dan Schwartz and keyboardist Mark Christine.

After five years of exhibitions, Whittier art space Light Grey Art Lab underwent a major expansion earlier this year. The once-modestly sized gallery has taken over the entire first floor of its building, tripling its footprint to a total of 3,000 square feet, divided into five gallery spaces. Each space will host a new exhibition, including “Camouflage: Hiding in Plain Sight,” which challenged more than 80 artists to interpret what it means to be invisible, and “Wanderlust,” a collection of work by the more than 30 artists who participated in the gallery’s 2016 Iceland residency that explores the country’s natural beauty and isolation. Then there are two photo exhibitions that explore adventure, wanderlust and nature, and “Unimaginable Animals,” a series of field guide–inspired illustrations celebrating nature’s strangest species.

Two decades ago, an original rock musical by an unknown composer took the nation by storm and inspired a cult following of fans. Now, Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning musical is marking its 20th anniversary with a restaging featuring choreography, costume design and music from the production’s original Broadway creative team. A modern reimagining of Puccini’s “La Bohème,” “Rent” follows a year in the lives of seven bohemian artists and activists struggling to follow their dreams while dealing with homosexuality, drug use and the HIV/AIDS crisis. With its diverse cast, gritty storylines and beloved rock musical score, the story is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.

When: June 6–11

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave.

Cost: $39–$139

Info: hennepintheatretrust.org

Midwest Home Luxury Home Tour

Tour some of the most high-end, custom-built homes in the Twin Cities during Midwest Home magazine’s annual Luxury Home Tour. Whether you’re in the market to build or just looking for inspiration, the home tour showcases the latest trends in floor plans, materials and features. The tour showcases two of the biggest changes to home building over the past decade: smart-home technology and energy-efficient building techniques and materials. Other highlights include spa-like baths, open floor plans, state-of-the-art audiovisual systems and a 12-foot custom wood bar accompanied by a built-in beer tap.

When: June 2–4, June 9–11, June 16–18 from noon–6 p.m.

Where: Various locations

Cost: $20 passport in advance, $25 at the door (provides entry to all homes)